Once upon a time, “organic farming” was just called “farming,” but that was before the Second World War. See, in the 1920s, all agriculture was organic, meaning produce was grown with no pesticides. Then, while doing research into nerve gas (for use in the war), scientists discovered the gas also killed insects.

Did you read that? NERVE GAS, intended to dismantle an enemy and cause lasting physical damage to the human body, unsurprisingly killed insects, so hey, why not use similar chemicals on things we eat? If you’re not already freaking out, it gets worse.

In 1939, Paul Muller developed DDT, the first of a new class of insecticides, based on what scientist learned of nerve gas. Pests were no longer a problem on farms. Hooray! Chemicals were sprinkled everywhere like salt on a pretzel, and voila, so-called “organic farming” became a thing of the past.

In the 1960s, we finally started to wake up. Rachel Carson published Silent Spring, a book where she criticized the indiscriminate use of pesticides, fertilizers, and weedkillers. (She called it “silent spring” because songbirds no longer sang near farms due to their aversion to chemicals.)

Thank goodness for the hippie generation, because as the 60s moved into the 70s, people became more interested in their health and green living, which spurned famers to return to an organic way of growing. Really, the organic market grew due to customer demand.

Today, organic is everywhere! Organic produce, protein, and products are all over your local supermarket, so why should you “buy organic?” If I didn’t freak you out enough with the nerve gas story, here are some other things to consider …

Produce labeled organic are grown without using pesticides or fertilizers with synthetic ingredients. So? Well, the National Academy of Sciences reports that 90% of the chemicals applied to foods have not been tested for long-term health effects before being deemed “safe.” That means, if you eat enough non-organic food, you might eventually grow a third eye. I”m kidding, but … who knows?

Animal products labeled organic are free of growth hormones and antibiotics. Consuming meat filled with hormones and antibiotics can have serious side effects, like “early onset of puberty, growth of tumors, heightened cancer risks, and genetic problems.” Consuming unnecessary antibiotics can also cause your body to develop an immunity to treatment when you actually need it.

All organic produce is also GMO-free: a requirement for certification. Plus, organic farming focuses on treating the soil as a living organism—adding nutrients as needed and caring for it so that it grows plants in their natural state, versus conventional farming that uses synthetic fertilizers.

Okay, I hope I didn’t scare the heck out of you, but it is important to know why “organic” exists and why organic produce and protein can be necessary to a healthy lifestyle. Next time you go to the grocery store, just consider the evolution of farming in America and know why organic has become such a huge and integral part of modern consumption.

At Blue Sky Organic Farm, we have a wide variety of fresh produce. We also have a broad spectrum of birds running around. We have chickens, roosters, and DUCKS!

In our farm store, we sell both chicken and duck eggs, but most people have no idea why they should buy duck eggs when chicken eggs are readily available. Well, there are definite benefits to eating duck eggs. Here are just a couple.

1. They’re bigger. Duck eggs are, on average, 30% bigger than chicken eggs. They also have much larger yokes.

2. They are great for cooking. Duck eggs contain less water and more fat than chicken eggs. They also have a firmer white. This is a pastry chef’s dream. Cakes and breads tend to rise better when cooked using duck eggs, and cookies will be more moist and chewy.

3. Duck eggs are more nutritious. Surprise! They contain more vitamins A, B12 and D, as well as higher levels of Omega-3 than chicken eggs. Duck eggs also offer nutritional value because of their increased selenium and iron content, getting you the minerals your body needs to stay healthy.

4. They stay fresher longer due to their thicker shells and membranes.

5. Duck eggs are an alkaline-producing food. What does that mean? Duck eggs are one of the few foods that leave your body more alkaline which is a great benefit to your general health. This can also greatly benefit cancer patients since cancer cells don’t thrive in an alkaline environment. We’re not saying miracle food, but …

6. They’re ideal for people with allergies. Some people can’t eat chicken eggs due to a food allergy; these same people often do not have any adverse effects from eating duck eggs. An easy substitution!

Now, there’s no need to throw all your chicken eggs away. All eggs are known for high protein and nutritional value. But hey, why not give duck eggs a try at Blue Sky?

There’s something romantic about the outdoors. People going on vacation say they “want to get in touch with nature.” For city folk who spend their hours in front of glowing, blue computer screens, a little time in the country tends to refresh and revitalize.

So obviously, those same city folk probably imagine the life of a farmer is akin to Heaven: waking with the sunrise; lingering over a fresh-brewed cup of coffee as the light hits rows of bright green; petting the dog; and basking in the crisp, clean air …

Ah, yes, so romantic! Living the dream.

But what if those images are completely wrong? What if the white collar idea of “farmer” is nothing more than a warped version of grass-is-always-greener?

We have to face facts: being a farmer is not a Norman Rockwell painting. Being a farmer is hard, demanding work, and all that work can be destroyed by no fault of your own. Consider the dark side of farming …

1. You versus Mother Nature.

You might think she’s a pretty lady in a fairy costume, but to us, she can be one seriously grumpy old bag. Adverse weather can literally destroy a farmer’s livelihood. Plus, yes, butterflies are pretty, but what about aphids or white flies? As an organic farm, we can’t rely on conventional pesticides and herbicides. In extreme cases, a crop can be completely lost to pests. And sometimes, hungry birds just swoop in and pull plants right out of the ground!

2. There’s no such thing as a vacation.

That image of the farmer calmly sipping his morning coffee? Not so much. Taking a day away from animals and crops isn’t an option; without care, these things will die, which means less time for the farmer to spend with family and friends.

3. Isolation.

You can only talk to your plants so long before people start thinking you’re sort of strange. Seriously, though, farming is a very isolated profession. In the words of farmer Jake, being alone for too long can be downright alienating: “Sometimes you get a little too lost in your own thoughts. Being by yourself, you suffer a disconnect from people.”

4. The Earth is not always your friend.

If the nutrient levels in the soil are even slightly off, a crop will not thrive or may not even grow. Because of this, frequent testing has to be done. Blue Sky pays a scientist who specializes in soil health to keep the soil healthy. But sometimes, things go wrong. Farmer David remembers with horror, “Last year, we voluntarily shut down the entire farm and preformed a recall of all of our produce after we received test results saying we had a conventional pesticide in our soil. It turned out the test was incorrect and had been compromised in the lab, but the financial loss and sleepless nights nearly took us down.”

So okay, it’s not easy being a farmer, but due to love and passion, we do it and will keep doing it.

There’s nothing better than knowing the worth of a good product and being able to share that product with customers. There’s nothing better than hearing, “You have the best produce!” at farmers markets valley-wide. It might not be easy, but easy is overrated. Sometimes the biggest reward comes from hard work, dedication, and dirty boots.

We at Blue Sky Organic Farms are proud to announce the birth of our baby goats.

Last Tuesday, April 14, something spectacular happened. Pregnant mother, Suede, went into labor. One of our Blue Sky employees, Alta, rushed into the office to announce the news. By the time the staff went running to the pen, Suede had already given birth to a baby boy. Next came two girls and ANOTHER boy, all in the span of about fifteen minutes. (A bit of a shock, considering we expected Suede to have one or two babies.) Within a half hour of birth, the babies were all cleaned by mom and walking around!

Thanks to a Facebook naming contest, the babies have been christened Starr, Lennon, Paul, and George.

Suede is in great health and doing very well as a mom. The babies will grow up on the farm, happy additions to the Blue Sky family. Plus, now that Suede has given birth, we will breed our other mature calf, Karma, with our older buck, Edgar. More baby goats on the way! What a beautiful, miraculous experience for us here at the farm.

This past Sunday, we welcomed guests to the farm to see our beautiful fields, try some of our fresh produce, and even raise money for charity!

For the kids (and some adults!), there was face painting, along with an art activity that allowed children to exercise their creativity and paint a funny face using fresh vegetables. The young ones even got to meet our goats, ducks, and chickens.

In-house chef RJ made three delicious salads. One was a raw salad, while the second was the same ingredients but roasted, to give guests a chance to compare the two flavors. Finally, a fruit salad with a lettuce base.

Guests also sampled some of our farm-made jam and applesauce, available for purchase at the Farm Store. (Open Tuesday – Saturday, 12pm – 5pm and Sunday, 10am – 4pm.)

We raised $77 for the “Feed Our Babies USA” charity. The winner of the farm day raffle even donated her share of the money to the charity!

All in all, a beautiful day to wander the fields at Blue Sky! Many thanks to everyone who attended, our staff, and our volunteers. We do love showing off our gorgeous produce first-hand. We hope to see you next time!

The farm is extending its reach by now serving the Cave Creek/North Scottsdale area. Every Sunday, we will be at the Tatum Ranch Farmers’ Market from 9 AM to 1 PM (28230 N. Tatum Blvd. in Cave Creek).

North Phoenix can sometimes seem like a “food desert.” The only shopping options for health-conscious eaters are grocery stores. The Tatum Ranch Market brings together local farmers, ranchers, beekeepers, and more!

You know us: We sell a wide array of fresh, certified organic produce as well as certified organic, pasture-raised poultry. The farmer’s market is intended to showcase other local vendors who support the health of all our Valley of the Sun residents.

If you live up north, come join as we share our delicious, farm-grown fare beside other businesses who need and appreciate the support of local shoppers.

This Sunday, January 4th, Blue Sky Organic Farms is opening its doors to you, our valued customer. From noon to 4 PM, we’ll be offering farm tours and serving fresh food from the Blue Sky kitchen. The farm store will be open, so come ready to shop!

We are proud of what we do at Blue Sky and the products we grow. We’re also honored that you have chosen to buy from us. In homage to you, we want to show you exactly where your food comes from. Feel free to ask questions and learn all about the organic produce process. We feel it’s important for you to connect to what you’re purchasing and putting in your body. Open Farm Day is our gift to you.

In case you haven’t been to visit us before, we’re located at 4762 N. 189th Avenue in Litchfield Park. (The best access is off Perryville Road. From Indian School, turn north on Perryville. You’ll see a large sign on your left about a 1/2 mile up the road. Turn on to the gravel road there, and follow it down until it ends in an open gate. You’ve reached the farm!)

Bring family and friends. Come and enjoy an exciting day of fun, food, and education. You might even get a chance to meet some of our friendly chickens, ducks, and goats! We provide fresh produce to you on a weekly basis. We want to give back and show you where that delicious produce comes from. It’s a new year. Let’s make it great by eating healthy and shopping close to home! Hope to see you on Sunday!

Jake Bauer began at Blue Sky Organic Farms as a volunteer, but he soon learned to love the industry and has since turned chicken farming into his career under the name New School Acres. With fresh, pasture-raised, organic chickens now available for order, we thought we’d pick his brain.

What is your professional background?
I’ve spent the majority of my adult career in the nuclear power industry. After 9 years in the Navy as a nuclear mechanic, I spent the next 4 years working at Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station as an operator.

When did you first become interested in farming?
My first visit to Blue Sky was last summer, which resulted in me volunteering my time and help in exchange for knowledge from the owner and farmer, David Vose. I had recently started gardening and found myself fascinated by the process: the miraculous transformation of a tiny seed to a full grown plant. The realization that I wanted to be a farmer didn’t materialize until six months later. David and I attended a sustainable farming conference run by ACRES USA in Illinois. Spending a few days there and being immersed in the culture created a genuine excitement in me that I had never felt before.

When did you realize eating organic was important? Why is it important?
My transition to an organic diet was at a slow pace. I was an uneducated consumer, and I think I was mostly just following the trend. In fact, I can still remember years ago when I truly believed organics was just a fraud.

Last summer, a friend of mine told me his wife, who had just been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, was going to treat her disease with an organic diet. Due to type of aggressive cancer, chemotherapy wasn’t an option and this was all they had. I had never heard of such a thing at the time and was totally shocked. I didn’t discredit the idea of this alternative treatment, but my curiosity was piqued.

While I prayed for the best and remained optimistically hopeful, I began to research the concept of healing through an organic diet. What I discovered changed my life forever. It was like taking the blue pill in The Matrix. All of the sudden I was inherently aware of the dangers in ingesting chemical pesticides, herbicides, processed foods, and antibiotics.

My newfound education was accentuated with news that my friends’ wife had beaten her cancer into submission with this organic, alternative treatment. I was now enlightened to the importance of food and its effects on our health.

Jake and his wife, Sara.

What did people say when you told them you were leaving nuclear power to become a farmer?
The two most popular responses were “You’re crazy” or “That’s awesome!” I did have a few people ask me why I would want to farm. It’s such hard work! As if hard work is something that should be avoided if you knew what was best for you. I think most people were shocked that I was willing to trade in a very lucrative, promising career with vacation days for a backbreaking, laborious job that includes no guaranteed days off. No matter the response, I was always understanding to the whole spectrum of reactions. I mean, who farms anymore? Not exactly the occupation you hear kids talking about wanting to take on when they grow up.

Why chickens?
I buy most of the meat I consume from local ranchers who use ethical and humane practices in their animal husbandry. Many of them either don’t raise chicken or have a limited availability. It occurred to me that there just wasn’t a readily accessible supply of non-commercialized poultry. Back to the conference I attended last year, David and I talked a lot about different farming ventures I could get started in and chicken came up on several occasions. We both agreed that there was nobody raising certified organic chicken on this small of a scale, not in the state at least. So I figured, why not be the first?

What’s wrong with chickens you buy at the store?
Besides the fact that some of the chicken breasts are bigger and whiter than my thighs? (Something’s not right with that.)

There are several things I find wrong with grocery store chicken. One is that you have no idea where the bird came from (other than somewhere in the US), what it ate, how it was raised, or when it was slaughtered. Then you throw in the fact that many of them are injected with antibiotics to either keep them from getting sick in their poor living conditions or to accelerate their growth rate. I believe antibiotic resistant bacteria is a serious threat to human health and that our haphazard use of these drugs in the raising of animals we consume is a grave mistake.

What do you hope to accomplish at New School Acres?
My personal goals of becoming a master farmer aside, what I really hope to accomplish is to educate people about the food they consume. If I can get people to truly contemplate, “Why is this precooked rotisserie chicken so cheap?” instead of “Why is your organic pasture-raised chicken so expensive?”, I will consider myself successful regardless of how my business does financially. I want to be a part of the change in people’s lives when they awaken to the importance of a quality diet. All food should be thoughtfully purchased and consumed. It’s one of the only things we buy that ends up inside our bodies. I think that alone should earn it the utmost consideration.

What has been the hardest thing about your career change?
Not seeing my wife as much. I haven’t had a day off since I left my old career behind 5 months ago and I work long hours. Fortunately, she’s given me nothing but support and love, which I’d be lost without.

What’s your advice for anyone thinking about taking a chance to follow his or her dreams?
I won’t say anything reckless like, “Just do it! It’ll be the best decision you’ll ever make!” Dreams aren’t easy and they don’t always seem so dreamy when you’re living them. Make sure you’re ready for failures, fleeting thoughts of regret, and self-doubt. That being said, there’s few things more exhilarating and liberating than living a life you truly believe in. Also, make sure you have the support of those you love and that love you. The help of your family, friends, and colleagues will provide you with the encouragement you need to get through those times of uncertainty.

(For more about New School Acres, and to order your own healthy chickens, visit http://www.newschoolacres.com. New School Acres is also on Facebook! Be sure to like us in order to receive updates about ordering and product availability!)

Every week (if you’re lucky), you receive a bag of fresh produce as part of Blue Sky’s CSA program. Bags include oodles of goodies, ranging from kale to leafy greens to beets and even fruit. It’s great having fresh, organic produce in the house, but how do you keep it fresh the longest? How do you ensure that one bag lasts until you receive the next? We have a few tips to help you make the most of your weekly CSA.

1. Don’t store fruits and veggies together!
When fruits approach maturity, they release something called ethylene. While this is a completely natural occurrence, the release of ethylene can cause premature ripening or even damage in other produce. As a general rule, keep fruits and vegetables in separate storage areas to reduce your chances of damage. (For a full listing of ethylene-producing fruits, visit HERE.)

2. Don’t wash your produce until you’re ready to eat it.
Although there is some debate about this, most experts agree that washing produce days before consumption can lead to mold and rot. There’s nothing wrong with clean produce, of course, but most people who wash early tend to not dry the produce properly. The leftover water is harmful during storage.

3. Store nothing near bananas.
Bananas are SUPER ethylene producers, especially when they have brown spots. Keep other fruit away from them at the risk of ruining your brand new batch of fresh goodness you just brought home from Blue Sky. Plus, bananas have a way of … smelling up the place. In other words, other fruits tend to absorb the smell of banana. Weird but true.

5. Don’t use a knife on greens or lettuce you plan to store, because it causes browning.

Finally, one more tip just in case you haven’t been treating your CSA bag with enough love and your fresh greens end up wilted. According to Something Good Organics, “Wilted greens and lettuce are often just dried out which can still occur even if the greens remain in constant refrigeration. Submerge the wilted greens in cold water by placing them in a dish, filling it with water, and putting it in the refrigerator overnight. It should bring your greens right back to life.” (For more detailed instructions on each item of produce, click HERE.)

Now, you know! Rejoice, and use that CSA bag to its full potential. And hey, if you’re not a member of our CSA program, be sure to sign up HERE!!!!